Before we start, let's talk about what you are going to need. Please note that you can use any type of medium to complete the assignments. There are no limits to your creativity! Use what you love best. However I encourage you to try out different mediums because who knows, maybe you have a knack for watercolor and you never knew it. It's also just fun to try different things and get messy.

I'm cheap, but not too cheap, because really cheap art supplies are CRAP. I go for the highest quality of the low quality art supplies until I know I'm good enough to justify the more expensive stuff. Case in point, a few months ago I splurged and bought $100 Swiss colored pencils even though I've never drawn with colored pencils and it turns out I'm not very good at it. Should have started with the 12 pencil Crayola box and gone up from there. Lesson learned. In related news...anyone want to buy some Swiss colored pencils? ;)

I would buy most things on Amazon prime because they are sometimes significantly cheaper than your local craft store even with a coupon and you get free two day shipping, and you don't have to leave your house with all your kids in tow. Dick Blick and Cheap Joes Art Stuff also has good prices, but you will pay for shipping (the horror). If you have to, make sure you have a coupon before you head to Michaels or Hobby Lobby and know that their selection is very limited.

These are the supplies that I use and have on hand at my house. I will use these in this class:

Pentel oil pastels--these are insanely cheap, and not artist quality, but I like the way they draw. DO NOT buy another brand, trust me (unless you are going for the artist professional quality). Most oil pastels at craft stores are horrible.

Graphite pencils (any brand). You can buy a set with everything from 2H-6B, but a plain old #2 pencil will work fine. Have a pencil sharpener handy too.

Paper, paper, and more paper. I do buy paper at craft stores since it goes on sale often, or is BOGO. Buy the type of paper for your medium. You cannot use regular printer paper to do watercolor. You need paper with a tooth texture to do oil pastels. You will need a thicker paper for markers or acrylic paint. Buy cheap paper, like newsprint or recycled paper, for sketching and the smaller assignments, and save the nice paper for the bigger projects that you want to hang up or frame.

A sketchbook-any brand, any kind. (I like Strathmore) I have one for pencil sketches and one for painting (different types of paper for each).

Colored paper or colored tissue paper

Some kind of paint and paint brush-choose watercolor, gouache, or acrylic and buy the appropriate paper and brush for the medium you choose

Crayola paint for your kiddos. Again, color saturation is so good. And it's actually washable, I can't tell you how many "washable" paints are anything but.

Paint brushes

Sidewalk chalk, also Crayola. My son ruined two pairs of pants in one week because my mom gave him non-Crayola washable chalk. I even soaked them twice overnight in Oxyclean and the chalk did not come out!

Kid scissors

Paint recommendations for adults (this is optional, just my recommendations if you were going to try it out):

Watercolor paint or gouache--My favorite brand is Winsor Newton, but it's also the only fancier brand I've used. It's not cheap, but a little goes a long way. I haven't found a cheap watercolor paint that acts like real watercolor paint. The cheap stuff just doesn't mix, or blend, or dry the same. Watercolor will be more translucent. Gouache is opaque and has white. You can start with a basic color set and add other individual colors as needed.

Paint palette. Paper plates work well for acrylic paint that dries up and has to be thrown out or washed after each use. Watercolor paint can be used once it dries, so buying a reusable, sealed palette is economical.

Acrylic paint--My first love is oil paint, but it's just too darn expensive. Acrylic is very fun too. I buy Winsor and Newton Galeria brand. Unlike watercolor and gouache, you will go through acrylic paint very fast so the bigger tubes are better.

Canvas board or wood if you are using acrylic. I prefer wood, but you can find canvas board pretty easily at your local craft store. You pick the size you want. You can also use acrylic paint on thick watercolor paper.

These are the colors I have: ivory black, titanium and mixing white (lots, although there is no white in watercolor), cadium red, ultramarine, permanent rose, burnt sienna, phthalo green, yellow ochre, cadium yellow, cerulean blue. I can pretty much mix any color I want from those, but it is also nicer to have more greens and blues, they just weren't available at my store at the time I was buying.

Do any of you have recommendations for art supplies? What are your go to brands?

It's that time of year again. I don't know if it's the extra pollen in the air or the creative burnout from completing so many Christmas projects, but every year around February I start to feel creatively frustrated. I have plenty of ideas but zero motivation. I feel stuck, discouraged, and depressed for no specific reason. It leads me to assess what I am doing and why and if it is still of value to me. What am I missing?

I narrowed it down to three things: I miss teaching, I want to involve my children more in my work (so it doesn't feel like when I'm working that I'm ignoring them--that dang mom guilt), and I want to improve my own art.

All of this thinking culminated in one grand idea--I'm starting an online art school on the blog called the Citrus and Mint Academy! Classes will start out with the basics of art, specifically the elements and principles of art and design, and if that goes well, I'll see what other classes I can do.

I'm hoping that by studying the fundamental elements of art, I will be challenged to think differently and try new things, and I hope that you will as well. This class is for anyone and everyone, babies to grandparents, professional artists to those who "can't draw to save their lives." I will be doing it with my daughter so I encourage you to do it with your kids as well. It's never too early to start learning about art---AND I timed it to start once school is out so you are guaranteed to have at least a 30 minute activity to do each day to stop hearing "I'm so bored" and keep their brains active over the summer. You're welcome.

Here's how it will work. Art 101: Line and Shape will be from June 1-June 30, excluding the weekends. Each week day I will post mini-lesson with a project here on the blog and on instagram. You can work on it at your leisure and then post your completed work or progress with the tag #cmart101 on instagram or on the Facebook Citrus and Mint Academy group page.

(Find the facebook group HERE. It is a closed group so you will have to request to be added. I did this because it will be the easiest way to share your work and see others' work and comment in a semi-private way for those who are reluctant to show off their AMAZING drawing skills to all their Instagram friends.)

This won't be a traditional class. I am not really acting as the teacher, but as a fellow student...maybe the leader of the study group. :) I am in no way an expert on these subjects. It is my first time learning the actual elements of design too. Therefore in order for it to work, it needs to be interactive. I need your involvement to make it really successful for all of us. Don't be afraid if you "aren't an artist" or "not as good as so and so." My work will not be perfect. It will not even be good at times, which I admit is really scary. But we will all grow together.

I won't be teaching any type of medium in Art 101, but the principles that can be used with anything--paint, crayons, pencil, collage, watercolor, charcoal, tissue paper, sharpie marker, tape, clay, photography, etc. I encourage you to experiment with several different types. I will post a supply lists in a couple of days...hint, stock up on lots of paper. The exercises and challenges won't have to take a lot of time. Some days you'll delve into it and create a masterpiece, other days you'll get by with just a sketch. I understand that summer is busy and I don't expect you to participate each day.

Oh, I forgot to mention the most important thing...IT'S FREE!

So who is excited to do this with me? Who will accept this challenge and enroll in Citrus and Mint Art 101? Comment below! Spread the word to your friends who may be interested and ask any questions you have (clarity in writing is not really my strength after having kids).

My heart is exploding with gratitude for all of you! Even though it's not the end of the month yet, I had to let you know that because of your support, a little over $1,000 is going to UNICEF!!! Thank you!

If you are looking for more ways to support refugees, check out a group that I read about in the paper today-- Lifting Hands International. They talk with refugees in the camps and create Amazon wish lists of items they actually need for you to donate.

This election season is one that as a historian, I would love to study 100 years from now, but right now, all I want to do is hide. Yikes. However, if you happen to love campaigning and want to throw a huge party for the next debate, I have the perfect clip art and papers for you! Or wait and use it for all your Fourth of July patriotic decor or your child's next class project that you wish they would do all on their own. Or their campaign posters for class president. I'd vote for her. :)

Yesterday was a frustrating day. One of those days when you are still recovering from a week-long migraine and have an appointment at the tile store to find kitchen backsplash tile for which you drive 30 minutes to the store only to have your daughter inform you that she has no shoes even though you reminded her several times to put them on and you sure as heck aren't making an hour drive on top of the 30 minute drive you just did to go back and get shoes. So she walks barefoot into the fancier-than-you-expected tile design store and they treat you like a peasant (probably because you walked in with your barefoot daughter) and scoff when you think that $30 per sq ft for tile is not doable. So you buy yourself a chick fil a diet coke AND chocolate milkshake just to stay sane.

That afternoon for nap time I finally got some quiet time to cross off some of the things on my to do list. One of those items was researching refugees, aid, and volunteering after being inspired by my church's call to action last Saturday night (view it here). I was seriously humbled. And depressed, and sad, and moved to tears. And frustrated. Frustrated with myself and my preoccupation with such trivial first world problems like "the perfect backsplash" and "children putting their shoes on when you ask them to" when there are people without a place to live, food to eat, personal safety, parents, siblings, medical care...the list could go on. Frustrated with people who put them in this situation. Frustrated with people who refuse to help out of fear. Frustrated that I am not capable to do more.

I spent a while researching local refugee non-profits in my city and there are lots of opportunities to volunteer. In fact there is a 6 month waiting list to volunteer at one of the organizations here in Jacksonville. I work with our church youth ministry and we will certainly be taking advantage of group volunteer opportunities, but volunteering significant time up in Jacksonville with two little ones at home isn't very feasible for me right now. What could I do? How could I make a difference?

The answer came to my thoughts: "What about your store? You could donate your income from there."

It's a thought I can't push away. So here is my pledge--I will donate 100% of my profits for the month of April to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) (profit is total price minus fees and expenses). I will come up with an established percentage to donate after that. It's not much, but it's something I can do. I want everyone to clearly understand that I am not doing this to get more sales or a tax break. I'm not doing this to get praise or recognition. I am doing this because people need help, and this is a way that I can help right now. Because if not me, then who?

Today I was introduced to Tara Mohr through a Design Sponge article she wrote on praise and criticism. It was exactly what I needed to read at a time that I am struggling and lacking confidence on the verge of trying out a new idea. Please read the article here, or look at her website here, but here is my short synopsis: Women especially have the tendency to notice and take personally the feedback they receive. Mohr suggests separating praise and criticism from yourself by realizing that feedback is a reflection of the person giving it, and not of you. She also asked us to look for the match up. "Typically when there's a type of criticism we are really afraid of, the real issue is that deep down we believe that negative thing about ourselves."

I am lucky enough to not have received the criticism that I most fear, but I certainly always have the fear that one day I will receive it. For the most part I am a fairly confident person, perhaps bordering on the arrogant side about most everything, except for one. Which also happens to be the area of my work. I constantly have to fight the fear that I am not good enough as an artist. I am not an expert. I have no formal art training. I have no formal business training. I am making it up as I go along, therefore I am not a good as so-and-so and never will be, and I don't deserve attention. It doesn't matter how much positive feedback I get from others since this fear is deeply rooted in myself.

I think the fear stems from the fact that I am a perfectionist. I want to be the best, or not do it at all. I don't do anything until I know that I can do it perfectly because if I mess up even a little, I failed. I need to become comfortable in not being the best, but being my best, or sometimes taking the leap and finding out where it takes me. I'm where I am because of leaps that I have taken in the past, but the inadequacy still creeps up. Today is the day that this fear is going to stop.

Reading that article, and some others from her site reemphasized the need for me to follow through with this idea I will launch soon. I'm going to do it for me, and not anyone else. I'm not going to determine it's success on others but on progress within myself! If you need me, I'll be muttering "confidence" to myself in the mirror. :)

What criticisms are you most afraid of receiving? Any tips on overcoming perfectionism and self-doubt?

Honestly I don't know the first thing about sports, but when someone asked for a set, I thought I would give it a try. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. I did have my husband check things over for accuracy :). These are the first of many sports kits to come! Buy them HERE or HERE.

Oddly enough, winter has finally reached Florida...and now I'm ready for spring. My little two year old needs to get out and run! I was commissioned to do Amsterdam clip art for a client and decided to finally turn it into a clip art set to match the dutch spring papers that I did a long time ago. Both sets are available individually, or as a bundle for a deal. Find them HERE or HERE.

Citrus and Mint is turning 4!!!!! I can hardly believe it, mostly because I can't believe how much my illustration has improved in only 4 years. Practice actually does make perfect--or at least much improved. To celebrate I created a long overdue new birthday graphics set and matching papers. The clip art is available as PNG as colored or EPS so that you can change the colors to match your party! They are both available HERE and HERE.

Also be on the lookout for two more kits coming out soon. Suggestions for other kits are always welcome!

Happy New Year! This year with the changes in Creative Market's licensing, I was forced to tweak my own licensing policies a bit. Before you start worrying about a large upheaval, I mostly clarified them since I was receiving lots of questions on licensing. The new Citrus and Mint licensing terms below are effective as of today, January 1st, 2016. All new purchases will fall under this new policy.

The biggest change is that I now added the Extended License listing to the Etsy store instead of asking people to email me to request it. I have opened up some product options that were restricted before.

Please comment below or email me if you make and sell a product that has not been included anywhere.I include the TOU sheet in every download file, but it will take me a while to change all of them to reflect this new policy. Please be aware that those TOUs are outdated.

**All FREE DOWNLOADS on this site are for PERSONAL USE only.**

Every clip art or digital paper set for sale in my stores come with a STANDARD LICENSE.

With the STANDARD LICENSE you may:

-Create and sell printed products like invitations, greeting cards, and calendars in printed form. Credit is always appreciated, but not required. Digital download projects are only allowed if they are customized for each client (ie address, names, dates, etc.) and sent on a flattened, non-transparent background. Up to 1000 copies of designs created per set are allowed.

-Logo and branding design for yourself or a client. Credit is always appreciated, but not required.

-Designs for web projects if the images are saved at 72dpi on a non-transparent background. Credit Citrus and Mint at citrusandmint.weebly.com in a visible place.

-Books and magazines in printed form. Limited to 1000 impressions. Credit Citrus and Mint at www.citrusandmint.weebly.com.

-Stickers for planners. Credit Citrus and Mint at www.citrusandmint.weebly.com. The clip art and papers should be used to create your own designs and sets (add text, add backgrounds, shapes, add clip art from another artist, etc). Simply printing the clip art as is, is not allowed. Limited to 1000 copies per clip art or digital paper set.

You must purchase the EXTENDED LICENSE to create and sell the following:

-Posters, art prints, and wall art-Design templates-Fabric, clothing, and accessories-Phone cases-Print and PDF publications, ebooks, and magazines. (Credit given to Citrus and Mint at www.citrusandmint.weebly.com)-Print designs more than 1000 times

YOU MAY NOT do the following with either license:

-You may not sell or share individual designs as is in printed or digital form. They are licensed to one computer.

-You may not create and distribute freebies using the designs nor may you license items for wholesale.

-You may not create design resources or scrapbooking resources even with the extended license.

-You may not sell items on reseller websites like Zazzle, or Cafe Press.

-You may not claim these graphics as your own either in their original state, or in an altered state.